The subject matter disclosed herein relates to appliances, such as ovens, and more particularly, to oven inserts for use in appliances, such as ovens.
An oven is a thermally insulated chamber typically used to heat or dry a substance. Ovens are typically used for cooking. An oven typically comprises an oven cavity and one or more heating elements, such as a baking element and/or a broiling element, positioned within the oven cavity for heating food items positioned within the oven cavity.
A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for improving the efficiency and/or flexibility of ovens by providing removable partitions for oven cavities such that the same oven may be configured to have a single oven cavity or multiple oven cavities. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,780,597, 5,618,458 and 7,071,448 disclose an oven cavity having at least one partition to divide the oven into multiple oven cavities. Generally, the partition converts a single large cavity oven into two oven cavities. An adjustable oven size provides the user with more flexibility to define the oven size.
While these adjustable ovens have improved the efficiency and/or versatility of ovens and other appliances, they suffer from a number of limitations, which if overcome, could further improve the utility of such adjustable ovens. For example, the partitions may incorporate a heating element that requires power. Thus, unsightly openings for connections would be required along the interior surface of the oven cavity where grease and moisture may migrate into the connections. In addition, the electrical connectors to the heating element often make it difficult to move the flexible partition.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques for providing power to a heating element within a movable partition for an oven cavity. A further need exists for an inductively coupled flexible oven divider.